The Greatest Crime Books of All Time
Click to learn how this list is calculated.
This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.
| Rank | Book | Authors | Year | Country | Language | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17120 | Brasyl | Ian McDonald | 2007 | British | English | |
| 17120 | End Of The World Blues | Jon Courtenay Grimwood | 2006 | British | English | |
| 17120 | The Jagged Orbit | John Brunner | 1969 | British | English | |
| 17120 | Full Dark House | Christopher Fowler | 2003 | British | English | |
| 17120 | Book Of Night | Holly Black | 2022 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Cross Fire | James Patterson | 2010 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Brethren | John Grisham | 2000 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Camel Club | David Baldacci | 2005 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Fearless Fourteen | Janet Evanovich | 2008 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Chamber | John Grisham | 1994 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Cross Country | James Patterson | 2008 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Street Lawyer | John Grisham | 1998 | American | English | |
| 17120 | First Family | David Baldacci | 2009 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Partner | John Grisham | 1997 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Worst Case | James Patterson | 2010 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Swimsuit | James Patterson | 2009 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Blood On The River | Marjoleine Kars | 2020 | British | English | |
| 17120 | The Faber Book Of Reportage | John Carey | 1987 | British | English | |
| 17120 | Friends In High Places | Donna Leon | 1999 | French | English | |
| 17120 | Polar Star | Martin Cruz Smith | 1989 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Quaker City, Or The Monks Of Monk Hall | George Lippard | 1845 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Mildred Pierce | James M. Cain | 1941 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Shadow Knows | Diane Johnson | 1974 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Crime And Punishment Of I. G. Farben | Joseph Borkin | 1978 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The London Hanged | Peter Linebaugh | 1991 | British | English | |
| 16765 | Hercule Poirot | Agatha Christie | 1920 | British | English | |
| 17120 | A Taste of Fear | Tharwat Abaza | 1968 | Egyptian | Unknown | |
| 17120 | Murder And Anger | Muwaffaq Khidr | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| 17120 | Coyote Waits | Tony Hillerman | 1990 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Tattoo The Wicked Cross | Floyd Salas | 1967 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Budding Prospects | T. C. Boyle | 1984 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Angel Fire | Ron Franscell | 1998 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Rock Springs | Richard Ford | 1987 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Bone Readers | Jacob Ross | 2016 | British | English | |
| 17120 | The Last Murder At The End Of The World | Stuart Turton | 2024 | British | English | |
| 17120 | Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice For Murderers | Jesse Q. Sutanto | 2023 | British | English | |
| 17120 | Wrong Place Wrong Time | Gillian McAllister | 2022 | British | English | |
| 17120 | As Good As Dead | Holly Jackson | 2021 | British | English | |
| 17120 | Good Girl, Bad Blood | Holly Jackson | 2020 | British | English | |
| 17120 | A Good Girl's Guide To Murder | Holly Jackson | 2019 | British | English | |
| 17120 | Conviction | Denise Mina | 2019 | Scottish | English | |
| 17120 | Sharp Objects | Gillian Flynn | 2006 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Gone World | Tom Sweterlitsch | 2018 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Dark Places | Gillian Flynn | 2009 | American | English | |
| 17120 | A Man With One Of Those Faces | Caimh McDonnell | 2016 | Irish | English | |
| 17120 | Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone | Benjamin Stevenson | 2022 | Australian | English | |
| 17120 | In The Miso Soup | Ryū Murakami | 1997 | Japanese | Japanese | |
| 17120 | The Night Swim | Megan Goldin | 2020 | Australian | English | |
| 17120 | American Predator | Maureen Callahan | 2019 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Five Decembers | James Kestrel | 2021 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Crooked Kingdom | Leigh Bardugo | 2016 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Shards | Bret Easton Ellis | 2023 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Stalker | Lars Kepler | 2014 | Swedish | Swedish | |
| 17120 | Sacrifice | Andrew Vachss | 1991 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Confessions | Kanae Minato | 2008 | Japanese | Japanese | |
| 17120 | Sadie | Courtney Summers | 2018 | Canadian | English | |
| 17120 | Without Remorse | Tom Clancy | 1993 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Throat | Peter Straub | 1993 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Cocaine Nights | J. G. Ballard | 1996 | British | English | |
| 17120 | His Last Bow | Arthur Conan Doyle | 1917 | British | English | |
| 17120 | The Bourne Supremacy | Robert Ludlum | 1986 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Last Devil To Die | Richard Osman | 2023 | British | English | |
| 17120 | When You See Me | Lisa Gardner | 2020 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Never Tell | Lisa Gardner | 2019 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Look For Me | Lisa Gardner | 2018 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Right Behind You | Lisa Gardner | 2017 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The 4th Man | Lisa Gardner | 2017 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Find Her | Lisa Gardner | 2016 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Crash & Burn | Lisa Gardner | 2015 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Fear Nothing | Lisa Gardner | 2014 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The 7th Month | Lisa Gardner | 2012 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Gone | Lisa Gardner | 2006 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Killing Hour | Lisa Gardner | 2003 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Next Accident | Lisa Gardner | 2001 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Third Victim | Lisa Gardner | 2001 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Perfect Husband | Lisa Gardner | 1997 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Dark Sacred Night | Michael Connelly | 2018 | American | English | |
| 17120 | I Will Find You | Harlan Coben | 2023 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Catch Me | Lisa Gardner | 2012 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Love You More | Lisa Gardner | 2011 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Live To Tell | Lisa Gardner | 2010 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Neighbor | Lisa Gardner | 2009 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Hide | Lisa Gardner | 2007 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Alone | Lisa Gardner | 2005 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Billy Summers | Stephen King | 2021 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Hannibal | Thomas Harris | 1999 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Mermaids Singing | Val McDermid | 1995 | British | English | |
| 17120 | Des Nœuds D'acier | Sandrine Collette | 2013 | French | French | |
| 17120 | Ragdoll | Daniel Cole | 2017 | British | English | |
| 17120 | 1991 | Franck Thilliez | 2021 | French | French | |
| 17120 | Drowned Hopes | Donald E. Westlake | 1990 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Godmother | Hannelore Cayre | 2017 | French | French | |
| 16769 | A Stranger Is Watching | Mary Higgins Clark | 1977 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Cadillac Jukebox | James Lee Burke | 1996 | American | English | |
| 17120 | L.A. Requiem | Robert Crais | 1999 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Dernière Station Avant L'autoroute | Hugues Pagan | 1997 | French | French | |
| 17120 | Moloch | Thierry Jonquet | 1998 | French | French | |
| 17120 | The A26 | Pascal Garnier | 1999 | French | French | |
| 17120 | L'ange Gardien | Jérôme Leroy | 2014 | French | French | |
| 17120 | Prendre Des Loups Pour Des Chiens | Hervé Le Corre | 2017 | French | French | |
| 17120 | Marseille 73 | Dominique Manotti | 2020 | French | French | |
| 17120 | I Was Dora Suarez | Derek Raymond | 1990 | British | English | |
| 17120 | The Brave | Gregory Mcdonald | 1991 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Blood Stained Kings | Tim Willocks | 1995 | British | Unknown | |
| 17120 | Versus | Antoine Chainas | 2008 | French | French | |
| 16769 | The Angst Ridden Executive | Manuel Vázquez Montalbán | 1977 | Spanish | Spanish | |
| 17120 | Nocturne | Ed McBain | 1997 | American | English | |
| 17120 | La Dame De Cachemire | Francisco González Ledesma | 1986 | Spanish | Spanish | |
| 17120 | Lonely Hearts | John Harvey | 1989 | British | English | |
| 17120 | Freedomland | Richard Price | 1998 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Havana Black | Leonardo Padura | 1998 | Cuban | Spanish | |
| 17120 | Romanzo Criminale | Giancarlo De Cataldo | 2002 | Italian | Italian | |
| 17120 | Murder In Memoriam | Didier Daeninckx | 1984 | French | French | |
| 17120 | Murder On The Eiffel Tower | Claude Izner | 2003 | French | French | |
| 17120 | Savage Season | Joe R. Lansdale | 1990 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Mock | Marek Krajewski | 2013 | Polish | Polish | |
| 17120 | Batman, The Killing Joke | Alan Moore | 1988 | Unknown | English | |
| 17120 | Unnatural Exposure | Patricia Daniels Cornwell | 1997 | American | English | |
| 17120 | The Simple Art Of Murder | Raymond Chandler | 1950 | American | English | |
| 17120 | Death Of A Ghost | Margery Allingham | 1934 | British | English |